Magazine reports abundance of vegetables, seafood

Bill EllzeyCorrespondent

Published: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 10:22 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 10:22 a.m.

“Leaving New Orleans on the Southern Pacific Railroad, southwesterly through vast market gardens, orange groves, sugar and rice plantations, cypress swamps, and dry and floating prairies ... in two hours ... we arrive at Terrebonne Station (Schriever), and take a branch train to Houma, passing through some of the finest sugar plantations in the State ... which, under the old regime yielded incomes of from $25,000 to $75,000. With but two exceptions the proprietors of these plantations are now insolvent.”

The descriptive article appeared in the “Cultivator and Country Gentleman’s June 23, 1887 edition.

“The town of Houma or Houmas, as it should be spelled, is situated in about the center of the parish of Terrebonne at the terminus of the railroad, about 70 miles from New Orleans by rail and 40 miles from the Gulf by Bayou Terrebonne, which empties into the Gulf at or near the inexhaustible oyster beds and fishing grounds of Timberlin (Timbalier) and Caillou Islands.

“During the oyster months daily may be seen the luggers carrying scarlet sails and heavily laden with the finest fish and oysters the world affords.

“All kinds of game abound here, quail, snipe, woodcock and every species of wild duck, thus affording an abundant market at fabulously low prices. A pair of the dainty teal ducks can be had for from 15 to 20 cents, a pair of mallards at from 40 to 50 cents, snipe and quail at $1 per dozen, and oysters at $3 and $4 a thousand.

“I predict that when a new people with new methods take hold here, the canning of oysters and shipment of game and fish will be extensively carried on with immense profit.

“There are some beautiful places immediately around Houma, containing about twenty acres, a part of it in vegetable garden, the rest of it in orchards of peaches, plums, pears, figs, oranges, pomegranates and Japan persimmons, arbors covered with grapevines, and a most comfortable and tasteful cottage surrounded by magnificent live oaks and magnolia trees, and every vacant spot glowing with gorgeous roses.

“These little farms supply the local market with fruits, flowers and vegetables, but this is, so to speak, an undeveloped industry.

“I know an enterprising man here who pays $10 per acre rent for his land, and ships his potatoes to the towns in the interior of Kentucky, clearing $3 per barrel, sometimes more.

“The yield is about the same here as in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Irish potatoes can be planted every month in the year. After the May crop is gathered, sweet potatoes can be planted in the same ground.

“The vegetables which are peculiarly suited to this country, and which are better than I have seen elsewhere, are sweet potatoes, peas, every variety of beans, beets, turnips, cauliflowers, egg-plant, lettuce, radishes and artichokes.

“Tomatoes, cabbage, sweet corn and Irish potatoes are not so fine as are produced in more northern latitudes. Tomato and potato vines grow too rankly, corn is inclined to go to stalk, and cabbage does not head well here.

“I have seen egg-plants bear two years from the same stalk by merely protecting the stalks with a little straw wrapped around them during the cold spells of winter.

“I must not forget the vegetable that is peculiar to this country and a specialty here. It is what is known as okra, or what is called here gumbo. This is the favorite vegetable with the Creole population. It is fried with onion and chicken, then put into a pot of water and boiled down into a thick soup (gumbo) and eaten with rice cooked perfectly dry and served in a mould.” Many Cajun restaurants still serve such rounded “molds” of rice with their gumbo.

“I have seen what was called gumbo on dinner tables in the North. West and East, but the genuine article is only to be found on the tables of the Creoles of Louisiana.” The article was attributed to a columnist who called himself “Stereo.”

The Courier and Daily Comet are looking for your old photographs and the memories that go with them. In order to protect your valuable photographs, do not send unsolicited photographs. Instead, contact Bill Ellzey at 876-5638 and leave a message. You may also write to him at: The Courier, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361 or contact him at bill-ellzey@att.net.

<p>“Leaving New Orleans on the Southern Pacific Railroad, southwesterly through vast market gardens, orange groves, sugar and rice plantations, cypress swamps, and dry and floating prairies ... in two hours ... we arrive at Terrebonne Station (Schriever), and take a branch train to Houma, passing through some of the finest sugar plantations in the State ... which, under the old regime yielded incomes of from $25,000 to $75,000. With but two exceptions the proprietors of these plantations are now insolvent.”</p><p>The descriptive article appeared in the “Cultivator and Country Gentleman's June 23, 1887 edition.</p><p>“The town of Houma or Houmas, as it should be spelled, is situated in about the center of the parish of Terrebonne at the terminus of the railroad, about 70 miles from New Orleans by rail and 40 miles from the Gulf by Bayou Terrebonne, which empties into the Gulf at or near the inexhaustible oyster beds and fishing grounds of Timberlin (Timbalier) and Caillou Islands.</p><p>“During the oyster months daily may be seen the luggers carrying scarlet sails and heavily laden with the finest fish and oysters the world affords.</p><p>“All kinds of game abound here, quail, snipe, woodcock and every species of wild duck, thus affording an abundant market at fabulously low prices. A pair of the dainty teal ducks can be had for from 15 to 20 cents, a pair of mallards at from 40 to 50 cents, snipe and quail at $1 per dozen, and oysters at $3 and $4 a thousand.</p><p>“I predict that when a new people with new methods take hold here, the canning of oysters and shipment of game and fish will be extensively carried on with immense profit.</p><p>“There are some beautiful places immediately around Houma, containing about twenty acres, a part of it in vegetable garden, the rest of it in orchards of peaches, plums, pears, figs, oranges, pomegranates and Japan persimmons, arbors covered with grapevines, and a most comfortable and tasteful cottage surrounded by magnificent live oaks and magnolia trees, and every vacant spot glowing with gorgeous roses.</p><p>“These little farms supply the local market with fruits, flowers and vegetables, but this is, so to speak, an undeveloped industry.</p><p>“I know an enterprising man here who pays $10 per acre rent for his land, and ships his potatoes to the towns in the interior of Kentucky, clearing $3 per barrel, sometimes more.</p><p>“The yield is about the same here as in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Irish potatoes can be planted every month in the year. After the May crop is gathered, sweet potatoes can be planted in the same ground.</p><p>“The vegetables which are peculiarly suited to this country, and which are better than I have seen elsewhere, are sweet potatoes, peas, every variety of beans, beets, turnips, cauliflowers, egg-plant, lettuce, radishes and artichokes.</p><p>“Tomatoes, cabbage, sweet corn and Irish potatoes are not so fine as are produced in more northern latitudes. Tomato and potato vines grow too rankly, corn is inclined to go to stalk, and cabbage does not head well here.</p><p>“I have seen egg-plants bear two years from the same stalk by merely protecting the stalks with a little straw wrapped around them during the cold spells of winter.</p><p>“I must not forget the vegetable that is peculiar to this country and a specialty here. It is what is known as okra, or what is called here gumbo. This is the favorite vegetable with the Creole population. It is fried with onion and chicken, then put into a pot of water and boiled down into a thick soup (gumbo) and eaten with rice cooked perfectly dry and served in a mould.” Many Cajun restaurants still serve such rounded “molds” of rice with their gumbo.</p><p>“I have seen what was called gumbo on dinner tables in the North. West and East, but the genuine article is only to be found on the tables of the Creoles of Louisiana.” The article was attributed to a columnist who called himself “Stereo.”</p><p>The Courier and Daily Comet are looking for your old photographs and the memories that go with them. In order to protect your valuable photographs, do not send unsolicited photographs. Instead, contact Bill Ellzey at 876-5638 and leave a message. You may also write to him at: The Courier, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361 or contact him at bill-ellzey@att.net.</p>